Six Degrees of Separation
by The Nostradamus Effect
Summary: AU. Weighed down by the heartache of her recent breakup, Serena struggles to find herself. But everyone knows the first love is always the worst - especially when he's already moved on to someone else. - Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

****And hello there, dear readers! Welcome to my first published work on this site. I'm actually quite excited to write this, and hopefully you'll enjoy how this unravels. It's only six chapters, however. It'll be fairly short compared to what I'm hoping to write in the future. ****

****Now, I'm actually quite a supporter of Amourshipping. It is by far my favorite shipping in the entire series, and I sincerely hope that Serena and Ash do become canon. This story, however, is leaned toward Pearlshipping, my second favorite. The characters will be quite OOC as they are in an AU. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy.****

****Based off of _Six Degrees of Separation _******by The Script, here you go.**

* * *

****Chapter One****

**_**First You Think the Worst is a Broken Heart**_**

Not a single soul had seen the breakup coming.

Serena and Ash had been the type of couple that everyone envied. She was beautiful with honey-blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and he was handsome with black spiked hair and chocolate guys that every female swore she could become lost into. They were always smiling when they were together, always laughing. No one had ever seen the two teenagers fight, and if someone had, word never got around.

They were the king and queen of the student body, and everyone knew it.

So when rumor had spread that the two had actually separated, every single student at Kalos High School was astonished. Who dumped who? Had there been a fight? Did someone cheat? What happened?

Neither Serena nor Ash wanted to divulge the information that the crowds so desperately wanted and craved. Serena Chamberlain spent her now-ample free time drawing and painting in the art wing of the school, and sometimes she could be heard playing the piano in the music room. Ash Ketchum had put in a significant amount of more effort into his athletics. While Serena still sat at the same lunch table with Hilda and Rosa – her two best friends – and their boyfriends, Ash had taken to sitting with Dawn Berlitz and Brock Takeshi at the far end of the lunchroom.

It wasn't as though everyone twiddled their thumbs away and patiently waited for either of them to let out what happened; there were questions, there were assumptions, there were rumors. Yet no one knew the absolute truth.

Rosa had attempted every method known to male and female to get her best friend to spill as to why she was now single, but Serena had simply brushed her off each time. Hilda had cornered the blonde-haired girl in the art room one day and threatened to use violence as a means to receive answers. Serena had laughed and called Hilda "crazy." So both girls had finally quit trying, and that was the end of it from Serena's group of friends.

Nate, Rosa's boyfriend, had been extremely close ever since the raven-haired boy started sitting with them at lunch and began to talk to him at their practices. Rosa ended up sending her brunette boyfriend on a mission to obtain information. Seeing as both boys were on the football team, it wasn't hard to find time to ask questions. The difficult part, however, was getting Ash to actually talk about Serena and their breakup. The only piece of information ever received was that "people needed to move on and explore other options."

Whatever the hell _that _meant.

So, in the midst of it all, no one knew the exact reason as to why the power couple of Kalos High had split up. And students were beginning to question whether or not they would ever find out.

* * *

It was pouring rain outside again, dark gray clouds obscuring the normally blue sky. The weatherman had predicted that it would storm today, but Serena hadn't really been listening to the news; she had been too busy trying to get ready for another day at school. The honey-blond had been running a tad bit late, and she had known that if she didn't hurry, she and her best friends would have ended up being late for first period.

Of course she didn't pay attention to the weatherman as he rattled on about the weather.

"Just as well," she said aloud, resting her head on her palm and clicking her iPhone off.

"What?" Lyra, a classmate of Serena's in second period, looked up from her iPad. "Did you say something?"

Serena shook her head. "Oh, no," she responded quickly, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "I was just thinking out loud, I guess." Her eyes locked with her brunette friend's for a moment before Serena looked away.

Lyra shrugged. "Okay,"

The blonde senior glanced down at her phone again, which was nestled between her thighs. The screen was black, and Serena clicked on the center button so she could look at her lock-screen photo. It was a picture of Aria and Ezra from _Pretty Little Liars_, one of her favorite shows. Serena, Hilda, and Rosa were obsessed with the television series; every Tuesday, the trio would get together at one of their houses to watch.

She sighed. _I'm going to end up looking again_, she thought dejectedly before unlocking the phone and coming into contact with a picture that made her heart ache. It was Ash and Dawn together under the bridge. Both had large smiles etched onto their faces, and Ash's brown eyes seemed to sparkle in the still-photograph. His black hair was spiked as usual, and he was wearing a dark brown hoodie and regular jeans.

Dawn looked _fucking _gorgeous as usual. She had blue-black hair styled in layers that suited her oval face perfectly. And as much as Serena hated to admit it, Dawn had some of the prettiest eyes she had ever seen. They were just so blue and full of depth, and they always hinted that Dawn was hiding something – a secret, maybe? And while Dawn was pale, she wasn't a sickly pale that most people made fun of. No, she had beautiful, almost porcelain skin and a body that had to have been sculpted by the gods themselves.

Yeah, Dawn was pretty. And Serena hated her for it.

It just wasn't fair. Why did everything have to be so screwed up in Serena's once perfect world? What had happened that made Ash decide to break up with her. Serena had never thought herself as a bad girlfriend. The blonde-haired girl had made sure that Ash had kept his independence whilst being in a relationship with her. Serena had never been the clingy type anyways.

So why exactly did Ash dump her after over two years of dating?

Serena had a suspicion that concerned Dawn, and she didn't like it.

Ash and Dawn had been spending more and more time together, and sometimes, Ash would have brushed off dates with Serena to hang with his new "friend." Serena had tried not to mind at first. She knew what it was like to have friends and feel that urge to hang out with them. But not once had the blonde bailed on a date because of her friends. The girl was capable of balancing friendships and relationships.

Serena scrolled up and down through Dawn's Instagram feed. It was the same routine she had been doing for the past two weeks. After she would stare at the photo of them together, Serena would stalk the blue-haired girl's entire page. Then she would move onto Ash's Instagram and glance at the two photos he had posted during his time over the Christmas holidays.

He had spent the three weeks with Dawn in Florida.

Serena was beyond pissed and beyond jealous. _That should be me_, she though angrily as she finally returned to the photo of Dawn and Ash. They just looked so happy, and it upset her to know that he could move on so fast from their relationship. Like what the hell? They hadn't even been separated for two months and he was already spending all of his free time with Dawn. It was no wonder as to why Serena was suspicious of his reasons for dumping her.

A single tear rolled down her cheek, and Serena reached up to catch it. She had already spent so much time crying over Ash, and yet, she couldn't seem to stop. Her heart felt so shattered and broken. Why did she have to be the one in pain? Ash seemed to being just fine. So why was it Serena spent much of her time crying over someone who didn't seem to love her anymore. Had their relationship meant _nothing _to him? It just wasn't fair.

_Tch, whatever_, she thought sullenly before closing out of the picture and sending a quick text to her best friends.

**To: Hilda &amp; Rosa**

**From: Serena**

_Are you up for some Cozumel after school? I'm totes craving Mexican!_

She shoved her phone into her diamond-studded purse and attempted to finish the Calculus homework that was due next period. Serena had always been a procrastinator, and she knew it was one of her worst qualities. But when she had Physics first and a free period second, it was no wonder as to why she waited to do her schoolwork. But Calculus was easy, and she ended up finishing the work rather quickly.

Which was actually a terrible thing for her. She needed a distraction. Because every time she had a spare moment, her mind would flood with Ash.

Fuck.

It wasn't as though Serena wanted to still be in love with the douchebag; she didn't want to feel the aching pain in her heart anymore. She had purchased books from the local bookstore that had promised her surefire ways of getting over her recent breakup. "Block all forms of communication" was a line from one of the books. Serena had blocked Ash on Facebook, Twitter, _hell even MySpace_. His number was blocked and deleted from her phone. The only reason that she had never blocked him on Instagram was because she truly loved his account. He had such a vibrant page, and she didn't want to lose that just yet.

And when blocking all forms of communication did _nothing _to help her, Serena had begun to watch television shows that included _Dr. Phil_ in an effort to find a way that would help her through the situation at hand. All that did was give her a more narrow view on the world, and she had established firm and clear opinions on topics such as rape, abortion, marriage, even the law itself. Who was she becoming?

Her depression only deepened. She paid to be hypnotized. Of course _that _didn't work. Television made it look so simple. The blonde tried meditating, and while her "ammmms" were sounding significantly better, she was still hurting on the inside. Every night, Serena would curl up in her room and just cry. She still loved Ash, and she desperately wanted to be with him.

Her phone buzzed from her purse.

**To: Serena**

**From: Rosa**

_Hell yeah, I'm in! I'll pay too!_

Serena grimaced. She loved Rosa – she really did. She was her best friend, after all. It just sometimes bothered her that Rosa could throw around money as though it was nothing. The brunette never really thought twice about using her credit card to buy unnecessary items, and most of times, she wasn't even using her own card. She would use her father's!

Now, Serena was wealthy herself. Her mother was a successful cosmetologist, and Grace Caldwell often traveled around the world to sell her own products. She was hardly home. Serena didn't really care anyways. Grace would only freak out if she saw her "perfect" daughter crying in her room every night.

Anthony would be the same way.

Anthony Caldwell was Serena's stepfather. He was the CEO of _Tepig Live_, the hottest music industry in the country. He was a kind man, and Serena could see that he truly loved her mother. But Anthony didn't really know how to treat his new stepdaughter. Serena kept him at an arm's length, and while she genuinely cared for the man, he wasn't her father. But he would often leave her a couple hundred dollars when he went out on his daily business, and she didn't really hesitate to take the money.

If this was going to be his only attempt at showing his love, then she was chill with it.

But Serena didn't spend her money on stupid things. She bought art supplies, school materials, and whatever she honestly thought she needed. Her wardrobe was fashionable, and it was probably a little more on the expensive side. Cute clothes were clothes after all. But Serena wanted to save up for as soon as she graduated. She wanted to travel the world and sell art.

Her phone buzzed again, this time with a confirmation from Hilda that she would join them for Cozumel.

Serena smiled. Her friends were so amazing. Both Hilda and Rosa were very pretty girls with a love for clothes. But that where the similarities ended. Rosa was more girly and sweet-natured. Hilda was a little more tomboyish and on the blunt side. They were so different but such good friends. And they always looked to Serena as the leader of their trio. She had the final say in anything they did, and sometimes, it felt as though they sought her approval. Serena both loved and hated her position.

"'Rena," a voice broke the girl out of her thoughts. She looked up at Lyra who was giving her a strange expression. "The bell rang."

"Oh, thank you!" Serena exclaimed before rushing to grab her things and leaving the guidance office. Calculus was her next class, and Serena did everything in her power to never be late. Wulfric _hated _her because she would always talk to Rosa.

Her third period was upstairs. As Serena jogged up the stairs, she caught sight of blue-black hair pressed against a wall. Dawn was in fierce make-out session with some guy with black spiky hair. Their hands were intertwined, and it looked as though things were getting heated between them. Serena rolled her eyes and continued to her class when she caught sight of who it was that Dawn was sharing spit with.

Ash.

Serena wanted to puke. Her suspicions had been correct. Ash had broken up with her for Dawn Berlitz, and now he was battling tongues in the stairwell.

_Oh my God_, Serena thought before she rushed past them, blinking back tears. _Oh my God. Oh my God. _She could feel her entire heart shattering as she thought of the new couple, the memory of them locking lips forever etched into her brain. To see them together honestly killed her on the inside, and she could no longer hold back the tears.

_He really didn't love me_, she thought as she walked into her Calculus class and took her place at her desk. She ignored Rosa and put her head down on the desk, wanting to block out everyone and everything. To know she had been dumped for another girl was a feeling that Serena didn't think she could handle. It just hurt so much.

The worst feeling was that of a broken heart, and Serena was experiencing it head on.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review, and until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: This chapter contains a serious issue that should never be taken lightly.**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_**What's Going to Kill You is the Second Part**_

"I saw them holding hands the other day."

"Did you know they're dating now?"

"Well of course! Everyone knows it. They're always together."

"They went to Florida together."

"What about Serena?"

_Does it really matter?_ Serena thought dejectedly as she shuffled past the hordes of students lingering in the hallway. Ash and Dawn were officially an item, and the honey-blonde had to sit back in the mutinous shadows and watch. She could remember when _she _was a focal point in passing gossip, but now, everyone only cared for the new power couple.

Dawn had completely taken over Serena's place as the new Queen Bee of Kalos High School. Before the breakup, students would flock to Serena and compliment her – her hair, her eyes, her art, her music. Post breakup created the illusion that the entire school had been cast under a spell. Everyone ignored Serena now in the hopes of winning favor from Dawn Berlitz. And it was really fucking annoying.

Hilda had commented on the issue one day while she and Serena were working in art class. "What the hell makes her so special?" she had asked as she moved her paintbrush across the canvas. "She's dating Ketchum now, so what? No one payed her an ounce of attention before."

Serena had shrugged her shoulders before responding quietly, "I don't know." The same question had burned through her mind for the past few weeks.

"It's so _fucking _retarded," Hilda had continued as she quit her painting. "Dawn doesn't do _anything _for the school. She's a cheerleader? That's cool, I guess." She had turned and faced Serena, her brown eyes blazing. "Who volunteered to set up the gym for homecoming _still _managed to win queen? You. Who went hungry at lunch so that Kris could eat? You gave her your lunch every day until her parents' paycheck came in. _You_ have done so much more for this damn school than Dawn has. But, because she's dating Ash it doesn't matter. And that's really pathetic."

The blonde didn't really respond. She had made a small humming nose before resuming her sketch of the ocean at twilight, and Hilda had dropped the conversation shortly after.

But, as Serena made her way to her history class, she couldn't help but think back on her best friend's words. Hilda made perfect sense. Sure, Dawn was really pretty and she was captain of the school's cheer squad. She had lead them to victory at Nationals. But other than that, the bluenette never really did anything productive for the other students. Was it truly only because of Ash that Dawn had been elevated into the limelight?

Had the same thing been true for Serena as well?

High school was so dumb.

"Hey Serena!" Lyra called out as the blonde walked into her sixth period. History was one of the two period that she didn't share with Rosa or Hilda. Thankfully, she and Lyra had bonded during their senior year. They had become such good friends and it was a nice feeling to have someone to talk to in every class.

Serena smiled and took her place beside her friend. As she settled her backpack and purse on the floor, she took a quick glance at what the brunette was doing.

Lyra was working on the PowerPoint presentation they had been assigned last week concerning the Civil War. The girls had decided to pair up on the assignment. Serena was tasked with finding the information and figuring out a design for the presentation. Lyra was such a genius when it came to computers that her task was to take Serena's ideas and bring them to life in the PowerPoint.

"Hey, did you add in those pictures I showed you?" she asked her brunette friend, placing her hands neatly in her lap.

Lyra nodded. "Of course. They were really good – especially the picture where Lincoln was giving his speech. Where did you manage to find it?"

"I found it on Google," Serena laughed.

"Figured as much, haha."

The two girls spent the rest of history working on their project and joking, and for once, Serena didn't think about her ex-boyfriend.

* * *

She couldn't say the same for her last period, however.

"So Serena," a familiar bluenette began as she slid into the empty seat next to her, "are you competing in the Miss Kalos Pageant this year?" Dawn brushed a strand of long hair behind her ear as she eagerly waited for a response.

Serena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Of course. I'm in it every year." What the hell did Dawn want now? She was the last person Serena wanted to talk to. "And this is the last year I can compete; everyone knows that."

Dawn shrugged before speaking again. "Eh, apparently not everyone. I'm going to be participating this year, too!" she said excitedly. "Ash said that it would look great on college applications, and I could really use that scholarship money."

_Are you fucking kidding me_? Serena thought angrily. Dawn didn't need the money. She never needed money. Was she after Serena's title of Kalos Queen as well? Dawn had already managed to steal Serena's boyfriend, and now she was going to make her life even more terrible by competing in the one outside activity Serena truly loved. Was the Universe conspiring against her?

"Oh, okay," the blonde murmured though the thought made her insides squirm. Dawn was really pretty.

"Yeah," the bluenette continued, "I figured that you could use some _real _competition this year, and I'm more than capable of providing that."

"What do you mean 'real competition'?" Serena question, narrowing her eyes. Dawn was beginning to piss her off.

She laughed. "Look, it's not exactly a secret that you basically win every year. I'm sure students are tired of hearing that the same girl is winning the pageant over and over again. It gets boring and repetitive. No offense, but someone else deserves to have a chance in the spotlight, Serena."

"I'm assuming that you're referring to yourself?" Serena asked, crossing and uncrossing her arms.

"Not necessarily," Dawn replied in a way that made it clearly she was thinking _exactly _that. "I'm just saying that someone else should have a chance to be crowned queen. Don't you agree?"

The corners of Serena's lips twitched down into a frown. "Actually, I don't."

"Well you should."

"And I care about your opinion because … ?"

Dawn's normally bright blue eyes turned ice cold. "Because everyone else does. Just ask your ex-boyfriend Ash. He obviously values my opinion. You know, since he dumped you for me." She smirked.

No physical contact had been initiated by either girl, but it had felt as if Dawn slapped Serena across the cheek. Ash Ketchum was still a sore subject for her; she still loved him with every fiber in her body, and to have his new girlfriend shove in the fact that he didn't love her anymore hurt like hell. Why was Dawn doing this? Why was she acting like such a bitch?

Serena could feel the tears forming at the back of her eyes, but she willed herself not to cry in front of her enemy. Dawn did _not _deserve to see her break down about a boy. After a long moment, Serena responded, "Yeah, I know."

"Good." Dawn smiled as if she had won the lottery.

"I just hope you're prepared for a fight."

"Why?" the bluenette asked.

"Because you're not going to be winning the pageant so easily," Serena said. "You're not going to be winning it at all."

Dawn let out a high pitched laugh. "Please. I'll win it easily. It's not as if you're a threat. You never have been and you never will be. You're nowhere near my level."

"If I wasn't such a threat, why did Ash date me first? Why did you have to shove your tongue down his throat for him to even consider giving you a chance?" Serena knew she was asking to be on Dawn's bad side, but she wasn't going to let the girl run all over her as if she were garbage thrown out.

"I don't know why the hell he dated you to be honest." Blue eyes locked onto blue eyes. "People do stupid shit all the time, and he's made it clear that he regrets dating trash like you." Ouch. "You're going to lose the pageant Serena. You've already lost your precious title here at the school. What makes you seriously believe that you can beat me in the Miss Kalos Pageant."

"It's just like you said, Dawn. I never lose," Serena answered defiantly, not breaking eye contact with her new enemy.

"You'll experience that feeling soon enough. You've already lost your boyfriend; you'll lose the crown as well."

Before Serena could bring out a retort, the bell had rung and class was starting. Dawn smirked triumphantly before turning her attention onto Coach Alder. Serena had lost this battle, but she sure as hell wasn't going to lose to Dawn anymore.

This was officially war.

* * *

Serena flicked her pen back and forth in between her fingers, hitting the paper every so often. Old hot pink sweatpants hung off of her waist, and she was wearing an off the shoulder shirt. The clock chimed one long stroke, and she whipped her head around to stare at the owl-themed timepiece. Smooth blonde hair fell out of her messy bun and sprawled across her face. One o clock.

She hadn't been up this late in such a long time. The blonde was compiling a list of things she would need for the Miss Kalos Beauty Pageant; she really wanted to beat Dawn and was ensuring that she would have everything prepared and ready to go.

The truth was, Serena Chamberlain was stressed – emotionally and physically. For the longest time, Serena had believed that she had her life together. Ash had been her boyfriend for over two years, she had two amazing best friends, her test scores were one of the highest in the grade, and she had already figured out what she wanted to do once high school was over.

But when Ash dumped her for someone else, it had really hit her hard. Her grades did slip, though only by two or three points, and she wasn't eating as much as she used to. She would stay up until about eleven crying or contemplating what exactly what went wrong in her relationship with Ash. Was it her fault? Had she done something wrong?

The door to her bathroom was standing wide open, and Serena found herself staring at the toilet longingly.

_No_, she thought to herself before returning her attention back to her desk. She was currently writing a letter to Ash. One of the countless books she had read mentioned that writing letters to those who wronged her and then ripping it up would make her feel better. So she had decided to give it a chance. But she couldn't find the words to jot down.

She glanced at the toilet again.

Serena knew that she was treading on dangerous ground. Bulimia was not something to take lightly. It was just … Serena had felt so incomplete after the breakup. For the longest time she had found herself staring her reflection down in the mirror, pointing out every flaw she could find. Her thighs seemed a little thick, and her waist wasn't exactly tiny in her eyes. Her skin was awful compared to Dawn's flawless skin.

Every time Serena found herself throwing up her food, she felt a tiny bit better. She was finally the size one she wanted to be, and the blonde could feel the blood coursing through her veins, pushing her to live on. Serena had promised that she wouldn't do it anymore. But something was still nagging at the back of her mind.

Why had no one noticed? Had no one noticed that Serena dropped an entire dress size in the span of a week? Or that after lunch each day she would excuse herself to use the restroom? Did no one care? Serena had watched shows that depicted someone with her problem. All of a sudden, someone would notice that something was wrong. There would be an intervention, a party. Then everything would be fine.

Did that not happen in the real world?

After one last glance at the toilet, she pulled out her phone and checked Instagram, going through her usual routine. She stalked Dawn's page religiously; the bluenette had posted countless photos of her and Ash together. Serena knew that she was doing to spite her.

Why did Dawn feel the need to make her life so miserable? What had Serena ever done to her that would cause her to feel so much hate? Dawn had made it perfectly clear that they were rivals in every way. For the rest of the day, the girl had done nothing but snub her and make rude remarks every time Serena answered a question or added in a comment. Then once school was finally over, Dawn made sure that Serena would walk by her and Ash in another lip-lock session. She was doing everything in her power to make Serena miserable.

And it was working.

* * *

**Things are becoming interesting for our beloved protagonist. **

**Now, in this work of fiction, Serena struggles with Bulimia. I was hoping to make her condition as realistic as possible, and I hope I do not offend anyone with including this. This is more of dark fiction than anything, and I want to explore the harsh realities some people face after losing the person they love. **

**Leave a review if you want to see more!**

**Until next time.**


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